The Enchanted Golden Compass

I've combined two movie titles into one post title because I went and saw both Enchanted and The Golden Compass, Thursday night and Friday night respectively. Both were awesome! Enchanted was so refreshing, and I just loved all of the references to past Disney films. I bet you didn't know, but Patrick Dempsey's receptionist at his law firm was the voice of Ariel from the Little Mermaid! The humor was there, the romance was there. Mostly humor though, which was perfect.

On the other hand, The Golden Compass was somewhat lacking in the humor department, but then again, it was a serious film. I suppose that since Pirates II opened the door for shameless cliffhangers, I can let Golden Compass off with only a warning, since it does leave things hanging. The animation was awesome, the costumes were amazing, the acting was wonderful - all around, it was a great movie. Oddly enough, Nicole Kidman was the favored actress for the role of Ms. Coulter. For over ten years, mind you. And, oh, I love this. Guess who was the author's pick for the role of Lord Asriel. Go on, guess. Ok, I'll tell you: Jason Isaacs. You know, Jason Isaacs, the actor who brought to life Lucious Malfoy, Colonel Tavington, Captain Hook, and just about any other manner of suave bad-guy you can think of. Jason Isaacs, one of my most recent inductees to my hall of fame. Oh, forget it. Besides, the role didn't go to him. It went to Daniel Craig, and I am most definitely NOT complaining. I still maintain that the very best scene in the entire film featured Daniel Craig shaving his grizzly stubble away to reveal a smooth and quite handsome face in the flickering firelight. Sigh.